Surviving MLB's Restructure: How the Hudson Valley Renegades Perservered After Looming Danger
- Payton Malloy Ellison
- May 4, 2022
- 13 min read
Updated: May 4, 2023
The loud crack of the bat, smell of hot dogs. “Let’s go Renegades” chants. Kids racing along the concourse for foul balls. Longtime fan Bob Hand’s vintage noisemaking horns.
Those were the scenes at the Hudson Valley Renegades’ home opener on April 19 at Dutchess Stadium. The chants, the rhythmic clapping when a batter gets to two strikes — a Yankee Stadium origin dating back to former New York Yankee ace Ron Guidry’s Cy Young season in 1978 — and the cowbells ringing around the ballpark were a large blend of traditions mixed into one.
Since the team’s inaugural season in 1994, Hand, a single season ticket holder, has been one of the Renegades’ most prominent fans. Almost always the first at the ticket office to buy additional tickets for individual games when they become available, he is very well known around the ballpark in an intimate group of fans and ballpark employees. "Quack, quack, quack” (referring to the baseball saying “ducks on the pond” when there are runners in scoring position) is heard from Hand’s megaphone during Renegades’ offensive rallies in the bottom half of innings. He and other longtime fans Jeff Canning, known as the Prospector for his white hair and beard, Hal Drachman and the late Paul Horaz began The Beggars’ Banquet, a postgame tailgate with leftover stadium food.
Just 2,027 fans were in attendance for the opener against the Brooklyn Cyclones, as a cold and chilly 45-degree night was enough to keep people from the ballpark. Still, the vibrant feels of professional baseball in the Hudson Valley were heard at "The Dutch" for the first time in 2022.
The weather was just one of the first signs where the opener felt different from the other 26. It was the first Renegades’ home opener in the month of April. Town of Fishkill and Dutchess County executives, including County Executive Marcus Molinaro, arrived to throw the first pitch and declare the day “Renegades Day.” While the Goldklang Group remain as investors of the team, Diamond Baseball Holdings, a subsidiary of Endeavor dedicated to enhancing the sport through innovation and investment, now own the team. For just the second year, the home team donned pinstripes and jackets with the classic interlocking NY, most famous with the New York Yankees.
A 5-3 win against the Cyclones that night was the first of 66 games that Dutchess Stadium will host in the Renegades’ first full season as a High-A ballclub in the South Atlantic League, marking a new chapter in Renegades’ history.
Minor Leagues in Jeopardy
Just two years ago, the Renegades, like many minor league teams in the wake of Major League Baseball’s controversial minor league baseball restructure after the 2020 season, faced a questionable future. Even with the team’s popularity to date, its status as a Class-A Short Season ballclub left them vulnerable for elimination.
The New York-Penn League (NYPL) and Northwest League, the two remaining Short Season leagues, had itheir teams targeted the most. While the Northwest League had six of its teams picked up by MLB, the Renegades, the Mets-owned Cyclones and the Aberdeen IronBirds — all moved to High-A East, renamed the South Atlantic League in 2022 — remain as the lone minor league survivors from the NYPL.
It’s the climax of what has been a rocky relationship between MLB and MiLB since October 2019, when Baseball America and The New York Times’ David Waldstein reported Major League Baseball’s first proposal to radically restructure the minor leagues. The initial proposal would have eliminated as many as 42 teams from its system and force minor league teams to pay for player development, among other changes. The league cited that its proposal aimed to eliminate issues surrounding player pay — where many teams paid its minor leaguers well less than minimum wage — and team travel.
But many, from minor league baseball fans to local politicians, have agreed that ripping baseball away from 40 towns and cities, especially when baseball is fighting for youthful fans, was the wrong move. Four members of the House of Representatives — Democrats Lori Trahan (MA) and Max Rose (NY); and Republicans David McKinley (WV) and Mike Simpson (ID) responded by creating the Save Minor League Baseball Task Force in December 2019, while more than 100 members of Congress signed a letter addressed to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressing their opposition towards the proposal. Sens. Bernie Sanders (Vermont) and Elizabeth Warren (Massachusetts) publicly denounced MLB’s plan in November, with the former calling for his fellow Congress members and the Trump Administration to “reconsider” its anti-trust exception.
The changes, which included 40 teams eliminated from the system and the removal of the Short Season and Rookie Advanced classifications, became official after the Professional Baseball Agreement expired. It came just a year after the minor leagues earned a record $85.7 million in merchandise revenue in 2019.
Renegades Fandom
“Maybe it was the small stadium size or the fact that the players were college kids that were being housed by local families or the in-between inning fun and promotions or just the love of watching a baseball game as a family in-person without having to travel to a major league stadium and dumping a ton of money to go to a major league game,” Hand said of his origins as a Renegades fan. “It was probably a combination of all of the above.”
Dutchess Stadium is where Josh Hamilton, Wade Davis, Evan Longoria and others have played as Rays’ prospects en route towards great Major League careers. It’s a part of the journey to major league stardom that the next class of potential Yankee greats — that includes Anthony Volpe, who has graduated to Double-A Somerset, Everson Pereira, Trey Sweeney and Austin Wells — will experience.
Yet, most fans won’t cite the players as a reason why they turned to the Renegades. The Renegades — and most lower classifications minor league teams — have high roster turnover and most people do not come to the ballpark to watch specific players. Most come for a family experience, the promotions, the fireworks after every weekend game, with the baseball game in the background.
“Over the years I have gotten the impression that more people seem to regard going to 'The Dutch' as a nice social night out, not because they are passionate about, or even interested in, baseball,” Canning said.
It’s how they have drawn and kept even diehard baseball fans, such as Roland Chapdelaine, who’s been at 'The Dutch' since 1994 and a season ticket holder since 2007.
“From the very beginning, there has been a great sense of community at Dutchess Stadium, of family,” Chapdelaine said. “It’s a minor league baseball team, yes, but if you attend enough games at ‘The Dutch,’ you will eventually meet everyone you know in the Hudson Valley: folks you work with, neighbors, the guy who fixes your car, the nurse in your doctor’s office, the folks in the supermarket, the State Trooper who pulled you over on the Taconic, everyone comes to the Renegades. From early on, it became the place everyone goes in the summer in the Hudson Valley.”
Chapdelaine said the sense of connection even extends to the front office staff. Former owners Marvin and Jeff Goldklang and president and general manager Steve Gliner are well known by fans and are approachable and welcoming.
This sense of connection — impossible with a big-league Club— exists across minor league baseball. Even at MCU Park, the Cyclones’ home ballpark in Coney Island, Brooklyn, the feel of “small town America” — as described by Chapdelaine — is still prevalent.
Canning was looking for a father-son activity to do with his son Dave when he attended his first Renegades game in 1999. “Dutchess Stadium was only 25 miles from home, easy to get to, a safe environment for children and the cost was reasonable,” he said. “I soon realized that this was baseball as I remembered it from my childhood, when the emphasis was on the joy of playing the game, not contracts, labor negotiations and all the other business concerns that often smother the game today.”
Many minor league franchises likely see a drop in attendance after the first few years of operation. However, the Renegades have maintained their popularity throughout franchise history, outpacing the average Short Season affiliate and routinely having top five attendance figures. Had they played in High-A, previously two classification levels up from Short-Season ball, the Renegades would have an above-average attendance in all but four seasons.
“The Renegades have been an economic engine for Dutchess County, our residents and our local economy, providing millions of dollars in additional revenue to both the County and local establishments each season,” Molinaro said. “Baseball fans from throughout New York State and the northeast come to attend Renegades games. Visiting teams and many fans lodge in our local hotels and eat in our local restaurants, local establishments that collect tax revenue which the County receives to continue to provide high-quality services and programs to countless residents.”
Minor League Baseball’s Importance
While the Renegades will thrive from remaining in minor league affiliation, other teams that did not receive an offer will not see those same benefits.
Among former NYPL teams, the Lowell Spinners have not found a resolution. Meanwhile, the Staten Island Yankees folded and later received a separate independent franchise in the Atlantic League, with help from the Yankees. Eight other teams, including four in the MLB-owned MLB Draft League, play in collegiate summer leagues.
The Tri-City ValleyCats, based in the Capital District of New York, have found a home in the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League. Their lease at Joseph Bruno Stadium, a state-of-the-art ballpark on the campus of Hudson Valley Community College, requires them to remain a professional baseball team, limiting their options compared to other teams. It is a major part of an ongoing lawsuit against the Houston Astros, the team’s former parent Club, and Major League Baseball.
Despite having one of the highest attendance numbers in the NYPL on an annual basis, including a record 161,171 fans in 2014, MLB did not offer the organization a Professional Development License for the restructured minor leagues.
The difference from minor league baseball to the independent system is apparent.
“In the independent model, the players are employees of the ValleyCats,” said team president Rick Murphy. “We’re responsible for the on-field and what’s off the field, whereas previously, we’re responsible for everything off the field. That’s the main difference and with that is additional risk and cost.”
While the Frontier League has kept the ValleyCats afloat, Murphy, who’s been an employee of the team for 20 years, said, “we still, to this day, don’t have an answer in terms of why we were left out.”
“Operationally, I thought we checked all the boxes,” he said. “We will be celebrating our 20th season in the Capital Region this summer. Up until [2020], we were always in the top three in attendance in the NYPL. All the players that came through Tri-City enjoyed their experience here. They were well taken care of.”
In the case of the town of Fishkill and Dutchess County, the Renegades are a massive draw and have been a big part of the community, but the team’s economic success is not an extreme necessity. For all markets, minor league baseball remains an integral part of the community and the growth of the sport in general.
“It’s incredibly important,” said Emmanuel Berbari, who worked as the Cyclones' PA announcer before broadcasting for the Renegades. “I think the more you have that irreplaceable connection in these towns, it grows morale and you create fans for life. I’ve always found Minor League Baseball to resonate as much as the majors — or even more — on a personal level in certain towns and cities. You’re watching baseball in such a pure form.”
“Professional baseball is an important part of the community,” Murphy added. “It’s a quality of life, it’s a way in which America’s national pastime can market itself within its community. I mean, the Capital Region is the 60th largest media market in the country. The ability to promote professional baseball I think is critical not only to the market, but to the industry.”
Chapdelaine, who has attended many minor league games outside of the Renegades, has felt “survivor’s guilt” after the minor league reorganization.
“I can’t imagine how much fans of those defunct NYPL teams were hurt by the loss of their teams, especially those who got no replacement team whatsoever,” he said. “And without so much as a ‘goodbye’ because the ‘restructure’ took place when there was no 2020 season due to the pandemic. There’s nothing sadder than a ‘last game’ except not getting a ‘last game’ at all!”
Gliner, who has worked in minor league baseball for more than 30 years, expressed remorse for the communities that lost their teams, said “That’s the unfortunate situation that arose…I wish there was some way that all this could have just remained the same, but nothing is the same anymore.”
Keeping the Renegades Home
With all the circumstances surrounding the minor league system restructure, there was no guarantee that the Renegades, affiliates of the Rays for all but two of their first 26 years, would be chosen to be the affiliate of any team, much less the 27-time World Series Champions. That would have left the team in a dire situation.
“The Hudson Valley Renegades franchise would have been left without a big-league parent club, facing the fate of 40 other minor-league teams in the same predicament: trying to field a team with players with little to no chance of ever reaching the major leagues, hence making it extremely difficult for them to draw fans to their ballparks or possibly ceasing their operations,” said Molinaro, who has continuously cited the team as an important factor for tourism.
“The County would probably lose a decent amount of income…if there was no baseball at all,” Hand added. “And if a collegiate-level team came in, there would still be an impact, as there would not be a large crowd at every game.”
Instead, in November 2020, the Renegades were selected by MLB to sign a Professional Development License to become the High-A affiliate of the Yankees.
“Knowing the Renegades faced that dire prospect, [Yankees President] Randy Levine, who has a residence in Dutchess County, went to bat for the County and the Renegades, negotiating a deal that brought the Yankees’ High-A affiliate to Dutchess Stadium,” Molinaro said.
Unresolved negotiations between the Club and County remained immediately after the affiliation was announced. An audit by Dutchess County comptroller Robin L. Lois in December 2020 noted many issues between the Club and the County that needed to be addressed.
“Securing the purchase of the Stadium land from Beacon City School District and negotiating a more equitable long term lease arrangement with the Renegades is essential to the future viability of this county owned park,” stated Comptroller Lois.
Most issues were resolved once the county fully purchased the property from the Beacon City School District in February for $634,000, completing negotiations that dated back to 2018. Then, the Goldklang Group and county legislature finalized a 25-year lease agreement in June 2021 to keep the team at Dutchess Stadium through 2046.
The County is expected to pay for the renovations and upgrades necessary in compliance with MLB’s High-A standards, including Phase II construction of the new home clubhouse beyond left field, new dugouts and relocated bullpens, which is a bulk of the $16.9 million cost for the entire project. Upgrades, including new seats, improved parking areas and a new LED lighting system have already been completed. In return, the Renegades will pay $308,000 in rent, increasing to $348,000 by 2042. The Renegades are required to host special events, including concerts and car shows, at the ballpark and continue renting the ballparks to local teams, including Mount Saint Mary College’s baseball program, for use during the off-season.
The agreement, signed by former owner Marvin Goldklang, was assigned to Diamond Baseball Holding when the subsidiary purchased the team.
“One of the things that basically allowed us to get MLB-affiliation was the promise of upgrades, especially in the player facilities here, the lighting and some other fan amenities like seating and the parking lot,” Gliner said, “All that falls under the lump sum of improvements. For us to have the Renegades here as a major league baseball affiliated team, those improvements must take place.”
Growing pains remain, including how the renovations will be paid for. A controversial plan to use $12.5 of the County’s $57 million in American Rescue Plan funds for Phase II of the project has since changed course, as the County planned to push $9.5 million towards the Emergency Housing Shelter facility before April’s legislative meeting on April 1, according to The Times Union. The proposal had been criticized by many legislators, community members and advocates, citing that the stimulus funds should be used on more pressing needs for the County and suggested that the second most valuable franchise in sports should pick up the check.
An official vote on the proposition will not be held until the County legislature’s May meeting, but if completed, the county will only allot $2.3 million towards minor components of the stadium lease agreement.
The delay won’t impact the 2022 season, as the project wasn’t expected to be completed during the year, but the timetable for the renovations is unclear at this time. Molinaro only stated that the County “would revisit the project at a later date.”
Still, he is optimistic about the team’s future and relieved that the Renegades remain in major league affiliation.
The Future of the Renegades
Even with the previous success of the Club, the 2022 season is the Renegades’ first full test of the Yankee brand.
Their first season in the High-A East was marred by COVID. The 2021 minor league season started in May and was shortened from a maximum of 144 games to 120. Dutchess County laws limited the ballpark to 20% crowd capacity until mid-June. On the field, the team prospered as it won 71 games and won the High-A East North Division (albeit missing the playoffs due to not having one of the two best records overall).
“We still managed to socialize a little with a few players, their families and friends, but not as much as in seasons past, when players roomed with host families,” Canning said. “As for attracting more fans from beyond the immediate area, the expectation was that we would but I personally have not had enough conversations to say for sure either way.”
A growing process remains. Hand and Canning noted the many empty seats at '"The Dutch” even when COVID restrictions were lifted. The ballpark attendance at the first April home game in Renegades’ history, regardless of weather conditions, are flags for improvement.
Still, the numerous Yankee hats among the 125,599 fans that entered the ballpark in 2021 show the potential the team’s outreach has throughout the Hudson Valley and the state.
Precedent suggests the Renegades will soon be on the upswing. Already, 58% of Dutchess Stadium patrons that comes from outside of the County, according to Dutchess Tourism, a number that is expected to rise. The Yankee brand has also proven to be a great deaI for other minor league teams. In 2007, when the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons became the S/WB Yankees in 2007, attendance rose by 54.3% that season to a record-high 580,908. While attendance continued to drop through the team’s temporary road team season in 2012 due to renovations at PNC Field, attendances went back up and has stayed consistent — 2020 and 2021 seasons notwithstanding — since coming back home and rebranding as the Railriders in 2013.
Theoretically, a family of Yankee fans looking to get away from the high prices of the big-league club can easily turn to the Renegades for their professional baseball fix, as the 63.3 mile driving distance between Dutchess Stadium and Yankee Stadium is the seventh lowest among High-A clubs.
With that, the ballpark is projected to gross $1.3 million in event revenue in the first ten years of the deal and $2.8 million throughout the entire 25-year commitment. By 2046, the County is expected to make $2.5 million from the park.
“As the result of our increased marketing efforts and the Yankees’ global brand, we look forward to even higher attendance with more families, coming from further distances, making memories they’ll long cherish,” Molinaro said.
As the club enters year two of Yankee-affiliated baseball, there is optimism from Renegades’ staff, the county and others that the Renegades, a popular team in its own right, can use the Yankee brand to its advantage.
“We’ve probably had the most change out of all the 120 [teams] that are still affiliated,” Gliner added, “But it’s a lot of positive change for us and a lot of opportunity.”
Payton Malloy Ellison is the Managing Editor for Diamond Digest and is a recent Journalism graduate from SUNY New Paltz who has written about baseball for five years. You can see more of his content here.
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